


More Than Just Armor

by nerd1659



Category: RWBY
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Henshin Hero, I Don't Even Know, POV First Person, Undecided Relationship(s), or maybe not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-24 09:29:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18568618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerd1659/pseuds/nerd1659
Summary: This is much harder than I expected. I became a Hunter to help people. You're not getting rid of me that easily. Everyone, lend me some of your power!In an attempt to close the gap between himself and his friends, one Jaune Arc decides to create a weapon to wield. His Master Plan, the Aura Crosser. This brave step forwards sets off a domino effect that leads to a battle nobody expected.Go Forth, Brave Knight! Make This Legion Your Legend!





	More Than Just Armor

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by RoosterTeeth. What proceeds is a transformative fan parody. All rights belong to their respective owners. Please support the official release.
> 
> AN: Welcome to my first fanwork to be posted on AO3. Feedback and critical observations are exceptionally welcome. I wanted to really put out something that was a little out of left field and this is what my mind created...
> 
> Enjoy, I guess. Or not. Reader's choice.

'Aura is the manifestation of one's soul. Why it is that we can draw upon its light is currently unknown, but it was a signifigant development that allowed civilization to survive against the Grimm. Many speculate on Aura's exact signifigance and there is some debate on if Aura is truly the manifestation of our soul or a by product of our body's natural systems. There are even theories that postulate that Semblances are simply our bodies expressing energy in general as an evolved mechanism to enable survival against the dominant species.'

So boring. My eyes were having trouble focusing on the textbook in front of me. I had decided to pursue one in a vain attempt to better understand just what Aura was. So I picked out the largest book I could and got to work. After hours of reading I still wasn't any closer to getting a grasp on the concept that was Aura.

The massive headache that this fruitless act had gifted me was not making my mood any better. I take a glimpse at my Scroll to see that it was nearly six. It's time for me to go. Small cracks eminate from my back as I collect the leatherbound book and decide to take it back to where I got it.

It takes me several minutes to relocate the shelf I dragged this massive monster from. You couldn't even see the entrance from here though. After dusting my hands of this dreadful experience the door calls to me, more like the bed that lies even further beyond. Before I could reach my most holy of dreams I hear the sounds of very familiar laughter and turn to see RWBY playing a board game.

Sitting at the table just beside them was the rest of Team JNPR. Ren was reading a book, that Nora was just so happening to be using as a pillow. The sight alone makes me shake my head. But my disbelief is amped up when he just flips a page onto her head. And now he's reading backwards. Deciding to not focus on the strangeness of those two...

PYRRHA WHY ARE YOU READING MY X-RAY & VAV!

How could you? You told me to cast aside my most sacred of scriptures, calling them, 'needless distractions.' But here you are, Blasphemer, reading the Heavenly Books for yourself! I shall remember this one, Miss Nikos. And my vengeance will be swift and brutal. The likes of which you have never experienced before. I swear it upon my honor as a devout member of the XRV Vale Chapter!

The burning indignation is cast aside when I see Snow Angel going to put down her cards and walk over. "Hello Snow Angel.", comes out of my throat in the smoothest voice I can manage. "How is it going? Anything interesting?" I can see her piercing blue eyes glaring angrily at me, the force behind them making me shake down my spine. I guess this round isn't going to well for her. I like to think myself patient, but the thought of facing the raging blizzard that is Weiss Schnee is when riled up isn't one that I relish. I may be dumb, but I'm not suicidal. I quickly wave good-bye and depart from this accursed librarium.

My eyelids felt like they weighed a million tons and I jittered weakly, limbs cramping painfully after many hours of sitting still. I held my hands weakly and wrang them out, trying to get feeling back in them. The words from the book that I spent all my free time reading seemed to map out across everything around me. Letters plastered themselves onto every surface. The dull black letters consumed everything and glared back painfully at me. I blinked once more and they all thankfully faded away. I let out a massive sigh as the tension was lifted from my chest. I rub my eyes gingerly as I stroll down the hallway back to the JNPR dorm room. I still have no idea what I'm getting myself into. I wasn't expecting this whole Huntsman gig to be easy, but I was going to power through.

*************SCENE****BREAK**************************************************

The next day had me back in the musty corner of Hell itself, trying to swallow more of this damnable tome. The same bland speech rolled out at me and did nothing to hold my interest or sway my every increasing boredom and eye strain. Forgot to mention the headaches too, didn't I?

One of the most infamous Aura-led events was the Roanoke Colony. Every citizen had their Aura unlocked and was training to become the next Huntsman militia, even the children and elderly. But after not even a month of being civilized the entire colony vanished. Not a single soul or trace of civilization. It is widely speculated that the massive influx of Aura caused a horde of Grimm to ravage Roanoke.

This was actually quite the news to me. One of the new exchange students was sitting across from me. He had short messy blonde lock that hung around a smug grin and mischevously twinkling eyes. His shirt was completely unbuttoned and displayed rather impressive abs. I also caught a glimpse of a yellow furred tail, but this guy looked kinda familiar. Methinks I've seens you before. Right as the thought passes through my head he holds out a red gloved hand. "My name is Sun Wukong. I seen you at the XRV meet a couple days ago."

That's right! I have seen him at the weekly gathering we have at a bookstore to purchase the newest issues and then discuss them and perform graceful and intelligent commentary on these wonderfully and thoughtfully crafted works that fuse beautiful illustrations and masterful wordplay. You can feel the heart and soul that gets put into these publications. I also stick my hand out and reply, "It's nice to meet you, my name is Jaune Arc." He quickly shakes it and looks down at the massive bulk I'm reading.

Sun winces sympathetically at my dreadfully dull and dreary devilry,but I must remain devout and determined... Like hell I am! I close this gigantic mind melter and place it aside. A small smile graces my face as I reach into my bookbag and pull out two things, a sketchbook and pen as well as my newest reading material. I see my compatriot pull out the X-Ray and Vav graphic novel that just hit the shelves. He grins widely as he tells me, "It's pretty good. Picked it up earlier today and have been trying to find a quiet place to read. I enjoy Neptune and he's cool, but he just doesn't know how to enjoy a nice read." So we're quite similiar in that regards.

"My partner told me to cut down on reading comics, so I have tried to suppliment it with studies. The end result is not the desired one." The wave of disbelief on his face as he shakes those shiny locks to and fro. "Untamed savages, all of them." I nod in consent before turning back to my notebook. I flip it open to reveal several illustrations of a knight standing proudly in a field. Sun's interest is peaked almost instantly, "It is a nice picture. You draw that? It looks amazing!" His excitable nature spreads easily to me as his voice begins to quicken. But that is instanly frozen as he snatches up my evening entertainment.

Before I can voice my objections a quick observation is made. "I do like how the belt resembles an X. It even looks like a personification of warrior spirit." At those words my vision narrows instantly.

There is a belief that Aura is influenced by the morale or "fighting spirit" of the Huntress.

Accounts exsist of ancient warriors who would be said to let their spirit flow through their arms and armor. It is thought to be very early depictions of Semblances.

My grin widens immensely as I snatch up all my stuff and quickly dart out of the library while excitedly shouting, "Thanks for the idea!" Sun is visibly confused and the librarian looks extremely angry at me, but that doesn't matter. After a quick pit stop at the dorm and a dead sprint to the roof where I train with Pyrrha I toss down what I had picked up beforehand. A black belt that is made of a tough and glossy leather.

I sit cross legged upon the cool building in below the cloud covered Sun and pick up the belt. Closing my eyes intensely the reason for my scramble and the idea burn in my mind. If Aura is indeed like a forcefield then maybe I can internalize or even transplant splices. Once that is over then maybe phase two can begin. A low breath and my task begins. All that needs to happen right now is that the sensation and feeling of my Aura should be located and studied. That's not too hard right?

As it turns out it is harder than I expected. Staying seated upon the stone slab I placed myself upon I vowed to not get up until I found my Aura. So I tried to calm myself and reach out for it, like meditation that the main hero does in a martial arts film. But no matter how many times I ran the idea through my head, and the phrase "Let everything flow over you.", countless times my Aura refused to respond. My calm serenity that I had seeked out gave way to immense frustration and cramping from being still. Even though the Sun has set I still remain on the roof, trying to call upon my Aura. My eyes narrow as I bellow, "I'm not leaving until I can feel my Aura!"

It turns out I had to leave well before that. I was actually awoke by a pail of marshmallows being dumped upon me. Nora may be like a sister to me, but that doesn't mean I always approve of her methods. The Pancake Pancake is a masterpiece among masterpieces. But having to hurriedly wipe off sugary sweet snacks while sprinting swiftly to the dorms to get freshly showered and changed into a crisp new uniform for class was not her best idea. By a long shot. At least my knees are safe. Just thinking this makes my skin tingle and my bones crawl in terror. That poor fool who took the last of the pancakes.

Tired and aching from yesterday venture, classes pass like a blur to me. Even my traditional Combat Class ritual of Cardin's Whack-an-Arc doesn't do much to me. I spend lunch muttering about my idea and working on sloppy sketchwork. This even extends to library time. Or as I like to call it, Torture Of The Highest Order Time. Sun once more sits across from me. My fellow XRV member is finishing up his graphic novel from yesterday. Thankfully an interrigation doesn't occur, but instead he critics my artwork and fills me with glee I haven't felt in a while. So warm and fluffy, like a mircowaved sheep.

Even nighttime training with Pyrrha is spent trying to get in touch with my Aura. I mean, what better time to notice my forcefield than when it's being deployed to combat the threat of bodily harm? While this thought crosses my mind a wooden sword crosses my face. When vision returns what is immediately noticed is that a rather familiar redhead is staring down worriedly at me. "Jaune, are you alright? You've been quiet this whole time." The thought of asking about my Aura crosses my mind, but hesitation holds my tongue in a vicegrip tighter than a miser would his Lien. While the help is greatly appreciated my partner won't always be there to run to for assistance. So instead of pursuing advice that could end my suffering all I respond with is, "Everything's ok." The exhaustion in my voice surprises me. She must be really intense tonight.

Her dissappointed frown deepens immensely. "If this is about Cardin you do know you can talk to someone about it? We are here for you. Your partner, your team, and your friends." The time it takes for the realization of her words is longer than I expected. Cardin has been inflicting increased amounts of violence towards me, but it doesn't really matter. Nothing matters but my masterwork. So all the fierce amazon gets is a shrug and "Everything's alright." Pyrrha resumes our training post-haste without any small talk. Or any talk for that matter.

I guess Pyrrha didn't get the answer she wanted, so she begins to keep a closer eye on me. The next few days pass in a blur of immense frustration and dead ends. I try so hard to lose myself in my mind, but even asking Ren for meditation doesn't help. Everyone's favorite pancake queen decided to knock me out with a watermelon at lunch. And that's where the saga continues. After confessing to Ren the troubles of a clear mind evading me Nora grabbed a watermelon from the kitchen and slammed it painfully on my head. So that is why I have woke up to a sight I never thought I would behold. Ms. Goodwitch is using her Semblance to levitate everyone and everything in the room, myself included. Her lips are clearly moving, but the words aren't registering.

A burning pain and the all the air is immediately driven painfully from my unsuspecting lungs on the harsh unyielding stonework. The agony makes my vision fade once more and something's wrong. Something is obviously wrong. My ribs are most definitely not supposed to be multi-jointed. So why on Remnant are they suddenly pointed inwards? And digging into my stomach. The right side of my head that bounced off the floor felt like fire covered it, especially near my temple. Panic builds up in my mind with the frenzy of a hornet's nest and my pulse races, causing more painful throbs. While this should probably command all my attention, something else registers. A sharp jolt passed through my entire being, making me shake like I just ate a Nora sized serving of extra syrupy Pancake Pancake stacks. This feeling spreads to the rest of my body and I'm lost in it. Is this my Aura? "Stand up on your own?" I'm so caught up in my musings that a familiar commanding voice snaps me out of them in a shock. Without a second to spare my entire body automatically jolts upright into attention. But my aching abdomen quickly informs me that such an action was unappreciated and just made things worse.

The electric taste fills my mouth as I breath, "That hurts." The piercing agony that fills my being slowly begins to slowly fade away, but at a speed of the unholiest order. The only exception is the side of my head. I glance at the Deputy Headmistress to see her staring at me and I have no idea what she asked. It might have had something to do with that landing so I poke my aching temple with the matching middle finger, keeping the others extended to show I'm not flipping the bird, several times to clear the angry nest of hornets within. The rattling stops so I flare my fingers and let my hand fall back down to my side while fiercely shaking my head. The buzzing ceases, but everything else sounds muffled. "May you repeat that ma'am?" A nervous frown crosses my face as I fidget uncomfortably, "I didn't hear you the first time around." A low sigh and the tall blonde informs me in a strained voice that sounds flat, "I was asking if you can stand on your own, but you appear to have that covered Mr. Arc." The dangerous and angry glare appears once more with force. "Now about this mess your team help cause." What in Oum's name did you guy and girls do?

After helping clean up one hell of a mess Teams JNPR & RWBY escort themselves to the dorms to wash up. The gentlemanly thing to do would be to let my team go first, but I was roped into cleaning up their mess, quite literally. So naturally I got first dibs. After getting out and returning from a necessary side trip I play with a small doo-dad. It was a small rectangular piece of metal that has a speaker. It was originally a USB, but was cannibalized by one of my younger sisters to make a clicker that plays a changable tune. But on first glance it appears to be a short and fat w/ a rounded end. But pushing on the top edge of the clicker makes it spin around to form a rectangle almost as big as my hand with a button in the middle. She stuffed handfuls of them into my luggage to make sure I wouldn't lose anything. So now an excess of noisemakers is available to me. Pressing the button makes acoustic guitar start strumming a moderately paced tune with soft percussion in the background. It doesn't sound as loud on the right side, but that is to be expected.

The tune ends after only several seconds, but that can be solved with a simple click. I use this to think back to what happened when my ribs caved in. As it turns out that what hit me was Yang falling through the ceiling, but I was too scared to ask why. I did get it checked out at the infirmary afterwards, my little solo expedition. What was really strange was that the bones I felt definitely turn inwards and fracture, sounding like bubble wrap, were only bruised. It still did hurt however. If only my head got away as easy. As it turns out that my skull showed signs of recovering from trauma and there appeared to be no major lasting effects. Well, my hearing appears to have suffered, right side prominent. But how did it all recover? The thought of having to get myself to respond when asked made me ponder on my feelings, or rather lack of them. All recalled was an automatic response and determination to accomplish my goal . 

My eyes close as an attempt to recapture the frenzy of thought from earlier commences. The electric taste once more fills my mouth and a light buzz begins to fill my body. My Aura. It flows like a electrified river inside me, energizing my entire body, complete with soft silver glow. The luminescent sight makes my entire being relax as the comforting buzz fills my body, mostly focused on my rib area. After fifteen minutes of laying in the bed the pain fades to a soft backdrop. Too bad my hearing is still muddled. Win some lose some, I guess.

Time for phase two of my Master Plan. I turn my attention to my toy while still focusing on my Aura. The shine begins to silently crawl up my forearm at a painfully slow pace. After half a minute the glow pulsed onto into the noisemaker, making it gleam brilliantly as well. The light fades instantly, but my curiosity is peaked. The electric buzz is still softly registering in my mind and the charged clicker makes my teeth buzz. The novelty device is placed on my bed, not touching my body in any way. The buzz fades from my teeth almost completely, but strangely enough the parts of my body closest to the clicker tingles. Almost like a spark trying to complete a circuit. When the toy comes into contact with curiously exploring fingers my chompers begin to rattle once more. A large excited smile quickly works it's way across my face. It looks like this might work after all. Grabbing another and some scaps my work begins.

It took a while, but I did manage to do the same thing to all the equipment that I needed and got it assembled and on the rooftop alone for isolated testing. It is a good thing that my sister loved tinkering and taught me a thing or two. There was a glossy black belt that held two silver bars standing straight up with hollow insides that look like a USB slot in the bottom. Between them was a small metal centerpiece that had a small lense.The noisemaker I first created is now a gunmetal grey with a gold LED style "2" instead of a button. I also hold another clicker in my left hand. It is blue with yellow outlines. Spinning it open shows my family's symbol where the button should be. It is now time to try out my brand new experiment. The inside of the belt's centerpeice is just a camera that was broken down and reformed into a smooth and sleek shield shape w/ LEDs inside. Also included was a small projector that was acquired from an electronic vendor in Vale, eating deeply into my meager savings. This carefully constructed prototype was officially dubbed my me, its creator, the Aura Crosser. I have also taken to naming the toys Aurora Clickers. The brilliant shine of the soul contained within a clicking toy.

I press the Arc symbol first and the guitar melody is back. This time accompanied by my voice saying "Squire!" I recorded that and added it to the track, because every great Hunter needs their weapons named. Ruby said so herself! I plug the Squire into the USB slot in the right silver bar. Pressing the gold 2 makes a synthetic version of the first song play alongside a synthesized version of my voice saying, "Squared!" It is loaded into the left slot. Excitement and tension flow together in my stomach as I close my eyes and push down on the two loaded bars to make them rest in front of the lens of the belt, shoulders nearly touching.


End file.
